35 Facts About Bollywood That You Haven't Heard About

Did you know that the words Bombay and Hollywood were combined to form the name Bollywood?

In 2013, Indian cinema completed a total of 100 years. Each movie involves a lot of effort from various fields and people.

Bollywood started with silent films. Progressing to what it is today, Bollywood witnessed the emergence of several classic genres. 

The History Of Bollywood

The term 'Bollywood' came from two words, 'Hollywood' and 'Bombay'. The word is said to be termed by a magazine writer in the '70s. Bollywood film history can be traced back to 1913 when the first-ever Bollywood film was released into theaters.

• 'Raja Harishchandra', a silent film, is said to be the first-ever full-length Indian feature cinema.
• The producer of 'Raja Harishchandra' was the first mogul of Indian cinema. Between 1913 and 1918, they managed the production of 23 films.
• The '20s witnessed a rise in films and new production companies, and the films made during this time were focused on mythology or history.
• 'Alam Ara', released in 1931, was the first talkie and cinema that paved the way for the future of Indian film.
• During World War II, there was a decline in the imports and production of films.
• Modern Indian film is argued to have been born around 1947.
• Filmmakers, like Bimal Roy and Satyajit Ray, focused on the lives of people of the lower class who, till then, were often ignored as subjects.
• The '60s marked a new wave in Indian cinema, offering greater realism and focusing on the common person.
• Manmohan Desai, a successful director in Bollywood cinema, is considered the father of Masala films in the film industry.
• The time from the late '40s to the early '60s is considered the Golden Age of Bollywood cinema.

A Global Reception

In the 21st Century, Bollywood witnessed a rise in its International audience, especially among South Asians, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It is true that art transcends the boundaries of language, culture, and nations.

• 'Slumdog Millionaire' is one such movie inspired by Bollywood movies that saw International success.
• Indian film making and Indian movies have a huge fan base in the Middle East and various parts of Africa.
• The Indian movie with the highest-grossing internationally is 'Dangal'.
• Bollywood is especially popular in Germany. Being the second biggest Bollywood market in Europe, only after the UK, Bollywood has a presence in Berlinale and at different film festivals in Germany.
• 'Devdas' and 'Rang De Basanti' were nominated for Best Film, though not in the English Language Award category.
• 'Parched', a film directed by Leena Yadav, was screened during the section of 'special presentations' at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.
• 'Gattu', a 2012 film, was honored at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival under the category 'Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk'.

Famous Movies

Narrative films and movies in the Bollywood film industry have a huge fan base. The following are some facts that Bollywood fans may not be aware of, as well as some of the Bollywood movies that received high praise in and outside of India:

• 'Mother India', a movie by Mehboob Khan in the year 1957, a remake of his movie 'Aurat', was the first film from India that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
• The film 'Rockstar' was shot in reverse, meaning that the climax of the movie was shot first in order to avoid messing up the hairstyle of Ranbir Kapoor.
• The movie 'Mughal-E-Azam' was a trilingual movie with all the scenes shot in Hindi, Tamil, and English. The Tamil film did not do well.
• 'Kaho Naa Pyar Hai', a Hindi movie with Hrithik Roshan, was included in the Guinness Book of World Records in the 2002 edition for winning the highest number of awards, 92 awards, for a movie.
• The movie 'Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon' had a song with the same name as the film, one of the longest Bollywood songs, topping the list with a length of 20 minutes.
• Movies including 'Awaara' and 'Disco Dancer', with actors like Raj Kapoor, Nargis, and Rishi Kapoor, had over 60 million viewers.
• The Indian film 'Mother India' was the first to be nominated for an Oscar Award.
• 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' is a movie that was regarded as one of the greatest films of all time in the magazine 'Sight And Sound'.
• 'Dil Se' is a movie that won the Netpac Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1999.

Famous Actors 

The title of 'best actor 'is a prestigious one, and even more prestigious is being a popular fan-favorite actor. Let's look at some facts about famous actors in Bollywood who gave their all to contribute to this evergreen film industry:

• The most famous actors of the '50s and '60s were Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand.
• Dilip Kumar was considered the ultimate method actor and proved to be an inspiration for future actors in India.
• 'Lagaan', a movie by Aamir Khan, included many British actors in the movie. In fact, it had the greatest number of British actors cast in a single movie in the Indian movie industry.
• Sunil Dutt used to work as an RJ (Radio Jockey) for Radio Ceylon and had a wish to interview his favorite actress, Nargis. Surprisingly, he later married Nargis.
• Tom Cruise was considered for the role of Raj Malhotra in the movie 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'. In the end, the character, Raj Malhotra, was played by Shahrukh Khan.
• The famous actor, Anil Kapoor, and his family used to live in Raj Kapoor's garage before they shifted to a room in the Mumbai suburbs.
• Famous actor, Ashok Kumar, used to be a lab assistant at Bombay Talkies.
• Ranveer Singh is Sonam Kapoor's cousin.
• Sunil Dutt once walked from Nagasaki to Hiroshima in order to appeal for global demilitarization.

Bollywood has fans all over the world. The movies consisting of music and dance numbers make Bollywood stand out from other movies and genres. The strategy of releasing the songs before the movie ensures in making sure the audience's interest is piqued. Recent years have witnessed various changes, incorporating Western influence.

 FAQs

What makes Bollywood so special?

Bollywood is well known for its songs and dance sequences, and the unique characteristics of Bollywood make it stand out from other films.

Why is Bollywood so called?

The word 'Bollywood' came from combining the words 'Bombay' and 'Hollywood'.

Who coined the term 'Bollywood'?

It is speculated that Bombay-based film journals coined the term. Bevinda Collaco, a film journalist, claims that she is the one who coined the term in her column in 'Screen' magazine.

What does Bollywood mean?

The word 'Bollywood' is used to refer to Hindi movies. It is the Hindi-language-based movie industry based mainly in Mumbai, also formerly known as Bombay.

Why is Bollywood called Bollywood?

Bollywood came to be known as such as a portmanteau of the words 'Bombay' and 'Hollywood'. The word came to be in order to refer to movies that are in the Hindi language and are mainly based in Mumbai (previously Bombay).

Why are Bollywood movies so long?

Bollywood movies, on average, run longer than Hollywood movies. This is due to the movies having a higher amount of content, as well as the inclusion of songs as part of the film.

Who is the highest-paid actor in Bollywood?

Akshay Kumar was the only Indian actor who was mentioned in Forbes' World's Highest-Paid Celebrities' list in the year 2020, making him the highest-paid actor in India at the moment. However, this changes from movie to movie.

How can you become a Bollywood actress?

You have to get trained in acting, singing, and dancing, build a portfolio and work your way up. It is important to have contacts of influence in the industry. To become a Bollywood actress, it is an added advantage to be fluent in Hindi.

How to become an actor in Bollywood?

Once again, you have to be trained to be an actor and learn to dance and sing. Go for auditions, take on minor roles, and work your way up.